The Grapes of Wrath (Penguin Classics)

John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. No wonder The Grapes of Wrath won the Pulitzer…. Classic is a CLASSIC. Very emotional response to the great depression and stock market loss in America and using that as the backdrop, the novel projects the inhumane and dehumanizing nature of human beings and equally projecting and championing the case for the humane nature of humankind. The Narration part is phenomenal. Alternate chapters take different narrators- the workers, farmers, migrants, shop keepers.... The Novels talks about the Oklahoma City migrant workers- focusing on the Joads. The story revolves around the Joad family. Tom Joads is recently released from prison for killing a man while being drunk. As he comes back to his father’s cotton farm, he meets Casy, an ex-preacher, and they both reach the destination only to find that the land is desolated. Understands from a local man Muley that the lands are being taken by banks and the Joads are in Uncle John’s house and are, like the other folks, preparing themselves to move to California aiming job for survival. After days of preparation, they finally start the journey. Grandpa, grandma, Pa, Ma, Tom Joads, his brothers Al Joads and Noel Joads, his pregnant sister Rose of Sharon and her husband Connie, along with Casy, Uncle John, kids Ruthie and Winfred, and one of their dogs, the Joads like the Israelites hoping to reach the land of milk and honey, are on wheels towards California. The road teaches the Joads lots of life lessons; they meet friendly poor migrants, the meet lots of calculative opportunist shop keepers, and guards who side with the wealthy few. The family lose their dog in an accident, and they also lose both grandma and grandpa before reaching California. Oh yes they do reach California, but not everyone in the family. Noel goes his way and so is Connie. The hope of the Joads to get jobs starts to shake from the foundation, as unemployed migrants are everywhere and they overcrowd California. The wages are low, still the Joads endure to live decently with the earned money. Ma Joads takes up the task of keeping the family together against all odds, even when shifting from one place to the other. Like the tortoise, the Joads move in all possible direction looking for job prospects, taking their home along at the back. Whether they win lot of money in the new-found land, or lose every single penny… Whether they gain friends or accumulate ememies… Whether they endure and stick as one family or split… Whether they accept the reality as fate or they fight and act different… Whether they are fettered by the past or stoic enough to face the present… - that’s for the readers to pry. But one thing I can assure- like his novella Of Mice and Men, the Novel The Grapes of Wrath wins the heart of readers. It has done in the past and present and so it will continue too for the future readers. COMPELLING READ. Thumps up for the 1963 Nobel winner- THE JOHN STEINBECK.

Neat compact edition. Holds well in hand, readable font size. Just the cover is a bit soft. Seller: Transinfopreneur. Price: 328Rs

The book was damaged horrendously handled

A masterpiece from start to finish

This review is only about the condition of the book and not about the content. I read Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men earlier this year and absolutely loved it. Since then I've been meaning to get my hands on other books by Steinbeck, and Grapes of Wrath was high up in the list. I've been trying to buy this particular edition, which has the original cover from 1939. This is the 75th anniversary edition of the book..and I'm really satisfied with the condition of it and it was delivered on time.

Nice one👍🏽

Great is the word i would use to describe the novel , greatness in the way it shows and celebrates motherhood , greatness in the way it shows people being pulled into poverty , those who sow were made to beg , those who feed were made to starve . Shows the struggle of The Joad Family and the real meaning of society working together to overcome the inauspicious entrance of machine age into their life , lakhs pulled out of their houses to roam without food and destination . Shows how food is the basic motto of existence ,people work to put food on their plates .

Although I love this historical fiction, I'm indeed extremely disappointed with the packaging. The corners of this paperback cover were damaged severely. Being a bibliophile, I hate to see the cover of books in such a deplorable condition, moreover, this newly ordered book has reached me with a disfigured look carrying frayed corners. And, I'm saddened by the way it has been handled, which perhaps caused this damage.

Basic Amazon print, the pixels of the cover art are visible because it is just copy pasted......

A experiência de leitura nessa edição é demais, começando pela introdução maravilhosa do Robert Demmot, um estudioso da obra de Steinbeck, que também é responsável pelas notas. O prefácio traz a contextualização e os desdobramentos do impacto da obra na história norte-americana, além de uma análise do autor, de suas obras e muitas dicas sobre filmes, documentários, músicas (há uma canção do Bon Dylan para um dos personagens) e até de uma paródia da revista Mad. Robert Demmot também é responsável pelas notas de rodapé, que são bem importantes nessa obra, pois há bastante gíria e o autor utiliza a forma coloquial da fala da região em sua escrita.

Due to the popular language and dialect used, it wasn’t always easy to read this book in English. For three interchapters, I had to rely on the French translation, but unfortunately, the soul of the book didn’t fully come through. Still, I found the story remarkably relevant. The book offers a clear explanation of how unions were formed, a deeper understanding of the roots of the American people, and a powerful representation of women’s roles—among many other compelling themes. Highly recommended for its historical and social insights.

Riletto in lingua originale dopo che non ero riuscito a finirlo quasi 60 anni fa in versione tradotta. La storia di disperazione e speranza di questa famiglia che va a Ovest oggi è tragicamente attuale vedendo un intero continente che cerca un futuro a Nord. Si fa fatica a finirlo, la disperazione non finisce mai. Poi il colpo di genio, nelle ultime righe. Da leggere, come tutti i libri di Steinbeck, d'altra parte.

No words to adequately describe the love of family and desperation for survival of theJoads described in this book. Just one of many thousands of dust bowl family victims. Amazing is the tragic inability of any government agency to keep Americans from starvation or provide any help at all. Sad period of American history. Steinbeck’s writing allows readers to actually visualize the reality of the suffering. Absolutely wonderful work.